Leia’s life began in heartbreaking circumstances. She came from a puppy mill, where she was eventually rescued during a raid. After being brought to a Maryland shelter, her luck changed when a family spotted her and adopted her without hesitation.
From the very first day, Leia brightened their lives. She bonded deeply with every member of the household, but her connection with her dad, Mark, was especially strong. He adored her, and she rarely left his side. Wherever Mark went, Leia was there too.
For seven beautiful years, their days were filled with joy and companionship — until one ordinary visit to a neighbor’s house turned their world upside down.
The Day Everything Changed
Mark and Leia headed to a neighbor’s home. Mark spent time chatting with friends and neighbors, while Leia played happily in the hallway.
But the night took a devastating turn when one of the guests decided to leave early. The door wasn’t properly closed, and before anyone realized what had happened, Leia had slipped out.
“I think she got a scent of maybe some deer in the area and chased them,” Patty, Mark’s wife, explained in an interview with GeoBeats.
The moment they noticed, everyone sprang into action. Neighbors joined in the search, but there was no trace of Leia. Days turned into a week, and still, there was no sign of her.
Though grief weighed heavily on them, Mark and Patty knew tears wouldn’t bring her home. They reached out to Lost and Found Pets of Anne Arundel County, an organization dedicated to helping families find their missing pets. The long search began.
Complicated Rescue
One of the rescue’s most dedicated volunteers, Donna, advised the family to put up signs immediately. She worked tirelessly alongside them, posting flyers all over the area.
Nearly three weeks later, hope sparked again when a couple spotted Leia in the woods near the road.
“We walked into the woods and sure enough, she was standing back there, probably about 50 feet away from me,” Pattie recalled.
But the sighting didn’t lead to an easy reunion. The crowd of people nearby startled Leia, and she bolted further into the forest. The family later learned that Leia had entered survival mode — a state in which even familiar voices couldn’t calm her fears.
Over the next three months, she remained elusive, constantly moving from place to place. Each time they thought they were close, Leia slipped away again.
Then, just two days before New Year’s Eve, came another lead. A woman spotted a dog resembling Leia near her office, about four miles from the last location.
Knowing it had to be her, Donna and the family devised a new plan. She enlisted the help of an engineer who built a specialized “missy trap” equipped with a laser tripwire.
“When the dog would go past the laser, it would make the door shut and lock,” Pattie explained.
Night after night, they left food inside to coax her. After nearly two weeks of waiting, Leia finally ventured far enough in — and the trap closed behind her.
Patty joyfully announced on Instagram: “We got her!”
Happily Ever After
“It was such an exciting moment to go out and walk down into those woods and have her see me and know who I was,” Patty said tearfully.
Leia was finally home. She was weak, freezing, and visibly traumatized, flinching at sudden movements and hesitant to trust even her family.
But slowly, with patience and love, the old Leia began to reemerge. She allowed cuddles again, and she curled up next to her mom at night, resting close just like before.
Her healing reached its sweetest moment when her beloved dad returned from a long trip. Seeing Mark again filled her with joy — the reunion her family had been longing for.
This difficult and emotional journey came full circle in that moment. Leia had endured months of fear and survival, but at last, she was back where she belonged.
Now, their home is once again filled with laughter, wagging tails, and unconditional love.